The Effects of Juvenile Arrest on Adult Gainful Employment

• In Event: The Role of Criminal Justice Experiences in the Life Course: Cross-National Perspectives

Abstract

The field of criminology is replete with studies that examine the influence of juvenile arrest on numerous criminological outcomes such as future offending, punishment, and incarceration. At the same time, while studies have shown that criminal justice contact – like arrest – can significantly reduce labor market outcomes, scholarship in this area tends to overlook the importance of timing of the event in this age-graded process. Using 19 waves of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97), the goal of this study is to examine the age-graded nature of juvenile arrest experiences on gainful employment (hours worked and wages earned) later on in life. A series of longitudinal structural equation models reveals that the age at first arrest carries significant potential to function as a key turning point with implications on future labor market outcomes. Findings underscore the need for scholars to consider the key context of timing of criminal justice experiences within the context of the life-course.

Authors

• Samantha Kopf, Bowling Green State University

• Thomas Mowen, Bowling Green State University